Takeaways from PediaSure's Rise in the Indian Market

Important Note: This is my takeaway from the ET Magazine article, "Powder Power"

Who pulled the wool over the eyes of Horlicks, Complan, Boost, Bournvita, and Milo?

It takes a certain kind of incompetence for the respective company's strategy and marketing departments to overlook or underserve an entire segment. And it takes a certain kind of negligence to NOT address a problem statement that's right under your nose.

What is that problem statement?

What are new moms to give their two year-olds, weaned off of mother's milk, as the little ones get exposed to the world outside their homes?

Being first to market, i.e., mothers and their influencers, the 27,500 registered paediatricians in the country, counts a whole lot - a 100% of the 2-6 year old food health drinks market. 

It's not just the "army of paediatricians" who are influencers, it's the 1,000 sponsored blogger-moms out there with their thousands of followers, urging other moms to buy a product that is priced double to thrice that of competitors - A fanbase that is an effective wall against dissenting professional advice.

And it works.

Inducing fear, the fear of undernourishing your little loved ones at their crucial stage of growth. Why not go for the product that your friends, fellow moms, your child's doctor, and even your child's teachers endorse?

That begs the question: Who are the real customers?

 The 100 million households having children aged between 2 and 7?

Or 

The 27,500 paediatricians? 

That could be read as: 1 paediatrician could fetch you 4000 Indian mothers.
You decide.

SoundMagic E10BT Bluetooth Earphones Hands-on Review

With every manufacturer jumping into the fray, there's a smorgasbord of Bluetooth earphones and headphones to be had. What's odd is that even now there is no objective assessment of what makes earphones good. Popular reviewers can offer their opinion, and this can be at variance with customer reviews. I am one of those customers. It's natural to refer to sources before making any purchase, and this is true in the case of earphones.

The SoundMagic E10BT is what the name says, an E10 with Bluetooth connectivity. As with Pacific Rim manufacturers, the grammar in and accuracy of the information are questionable. The Bluetooth version is 4.0 or 4.1, depending on whether you look at the box or the instruction manual. Some stores and review sites claim that E10BT supports v. 4.2. What is also unclear are the Bluetooth profiles that the E10BT supports. Testing the earphones on YouTube and Amazon Prime Video, the delay in syncing video with audio suggests that absence of Qualcomm's AptX low latency audio transmission algorithm. Therefore, the version probably isn't 4.1. Sometimes the audio cuts off when seeking within a video or when changing videos. This occurred when using a 2017 Apple iPad as well as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Android). A battery indicator icon did appear on my Android phone's screen, so this suggests Bluetooth version 4.0 or higher. The voice prompts are the same as the ones employed by cheap Bluetooth speakers and earphones. Remember, you can pair only one device at a time.

The sound produced by the SoundMagic E10BT is not markedly different from the E10C. Of course, this also depends on which ear tips you use and how well they fit in your ear canal. The E10BT sounds just as flat as the E10C or the E10. It's hard to tell if this an upgrade. Other reviewers have praised the wired E10 and E10C for their "warm" sound and "smooth" treble. Indeed, they certainly don't sound harsh, but they do lack punch.

The E10BT is made only in one colour, a matte black. It's hard to tell, but their construction appears to be plasticky. The inline remote is unnecessarily large and looks very different from the polished images and videos published by SoundMagic on YouTube and their website. The micro USB charging port cover is flimsy and care should be taken not to rip it off. Like with the E10C packaging, the E10BT's packaging also displays an invalid webpage to verify the authenticity of your product. When turned on, the remote LED continuously emits an obtrusive blue light - so much so that I may colour the LED window black.

Call quality is especially good for the listener. In fact, listeners reported better call quality than using the microphone on my phone. However, the listener's voice sounded tinny through the earphones like a radio with poor reception. That said, it is possible to have hassle-free conversations on the phone with the E10BT.

Battery life drained from 90% to 30% in about 6 hours.

Portronics Wireless Mouse Review

While shopping for a wireless mouse I was surprised to see that branded ones on the market shelves still cost Rs. 700 - 1000. Then I saw Portronics own offering, at Rs. 345. Portonics per se isn't a well known brand, but its products are known to work. Intrigued by the price I bought the mouse.

The mouse runs on two AAA batteries which have to be bought separately. Despite the addition of the batteries, the mouse is very light. You connect the tiny dongle to one of your computer's USB ports. The dongle is not well made and effort is needed to slide it in correctly. Fortunately, the mouse has passable construction. The Windows 10 laptop doesn't take time to recognize the mouse and no special drivers are installed. It shows up as a regular mouse. It's convenient that the trackpad is disabled when the dongle is plugged in, but that might be because of the OS, model, and drivers.

The first thing that strikes you are the strange ergonomics of the mouse. It's uncomfortable as the profile of the mouse is almost flat. Traditional mice are convex and are gripped, but with this one, you keep your palm is almost in line with your hand. It certainly takes time getting used to, but this mouse suffices for everyday computing tasks. I have not tested this with high speed precision applications like first person shooter games, but the mouse works on most opaque surfaces and movements and clicks register correctly and instantly.

For a cheap mouse, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the mouse sleeps after a period of inactivity saving battery. The movement sensor is turned off and the mouse can be awakened by clicking any button. The sensor also turns off when the dongle is not plugged in.

The dongle can be stowed away by plugging into a same sized recess underneath the mouse. However, the dongle's plastic does jut out.

At Rs. 345, there isn't much to complain about. If you can get used to the form factor, this wireless mouse is an inexpensive alternative.

MTS India: Gross Cheating of Customer with a Serving of Agony

“A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider of our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to do so.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

Having seen the TV ads for "superfast" MTS 3G Ultra internet, I contacted one of the MTS agents listed on the MTS website. The MTS representative lied telling me that Rs. 1299.00 postpaid bags me both the device and one month of 10GB "free" usage. I asked for a demo to which the agent agreed. He came to my residence with a package saying the demo "wasn't available at the moment". I anyway bought the package in good faith as I needed internet.

I was shocked when I learnt that 1299.00 is just for the proprietary dongle. There is no bundled bandwidth. I would have got prepaid if I wasn't deceived. Plus, billing starts retrospectively, even before activation of services!

The service itself is spotty and unusable. Top that off with an irresponsible customer service and you get a mother lode of crap. My woes began as soon as I attempted to use the "service". Here are excerpts of the correspondence with MTS India after telephonic attempts to MTS Supervisors were unsuccessful:

Aug 9:

Dear Sir,
I have bought a postpaid MTS Mblaze Ultra WiFi no. 8459545322 on 31.07.2015 from your Authorised Shop Aarav Communication.
I was told that 1299 covers the cost of the device as well as one month of your 12+12GB by your seller. However customer care told me this is not so.
I wish to point out that the device was activated on 01.08.2015 but customer care said prorata billing starts from 31.07.2015. How is this possible?
I asked to speak to the Supervisor but no one was available and the call was disconnected.
Your network either is down or very slow. YouTube and email are unusable.
Kindly explain why I should not file a case of cheating with the police.

MTS replies ad nauseum:

 Thank you for writing to MTS.
We regret the inconvenience you are experiencing in this regards. At MTS, we believe that our customers inputs / feedback helps to improvise our services and ensure that we strive towards achieving customer satisfaction.

We take pride in enhancing our customers with our response and friendly approach. It has always been our constant endeavor to ensure, that our customers are delighted by our inimitable approach.
Please do write in for further assistance.

They served me a bill for less than a fortnight. I paid it. But service didn't improve let alone work as advertised.

I followed up with MTS:

In your reply dated 10.08.2015, you have not addressed any of my concerns regarding the billing and performance of the said MTS postpaid number 8459545322 in my email dated 9th August 2015. Kindly answer the following completely and with integrity:

1. What is the assured speed of this wireless broadband service?
2. How much downtime is acceptable?
3. Why is there a disparity in actual and advertised performance and reliability?
4. Is internet traffic shaping employed?
5. Is the purchase date of the device the same as the activation date of the device?
6. What does the Rs.1299/- paid upfront cover?
7. Why was there no Supervisor available at the time of contacting Customer Care?
8. Why was no customer complaint number generated?
9. Why was the call disconnected by Customer Care without informing the Customer?
10. Why was no intimation by post or email sent to the customer regarding start of plan, billing, terms and conditions, acknowledgement of payment? 

MTS India issues the same reply, so I reminded them:

It is noted that you, the MTS Appellate Authority, refused to reply to my email dated 10.08.2015.
Answer the following completely and with integrity:

1. What is the assured speed of this wireless broadband service?
2. How much downtime is acceptable?
3. Why is there a disparity in actual and advertised performance and reliability?Is internet traffic shaping employed?
4. Is the purchase date of the device the same as the activation date of the device?
5. What does the Rs.1299/- paid upfront cover?
6. Why was there no Supervisor available at the time of contacting Customer Care?Why was no customer complaint number generated?
7. Why was the call disconnected by Customer Care without informing the Customer?
8. Why was no intimation by post or email sent to the customer regarding start of plan, billing, terms and conditions, acknowledgement of payment?
9. Provide the contact details of your CEO for further follow up. 

MTS doesn't even reply this time and I get fed up with their stalling and issue a cancellation request:

Sir,

In view of your refusal to answer my previous emails, your shoddy service, and misinforming me, you are hereby requested to cancel my connection postpaid MTS Mblaze Ultra WiFi no. 8459545322 with immediate effect.

Only billing upto 02.09.2015 will be entertained.

Besides your confirmation of my cancellation request, no further correspondence from you will be entertained.

Kindly refund the cost of the device and collect the same from my residence.

MTS issues same perfunctory reply along with a lengthy section on cleaning out your browser. 

On Twitter, MTS India notifies me that they have disconnected the connection:

Later, MTS harasses me and threatens action for a bill AFTER DISCONNECTION

Naturally, I file a complaint

MTS India,

I have repeatedly complained through the proper channels of your non-service to this customer – see trailing mail. As of 8th September 2015, MTS no. 8459545322 was disconnected and the same is public knowledge vide Twitter – see screenshot. This number was disconnected for the following reasons:
1.       Unusable internet service
2.       Deceitful sales practices – misleading the customer on cost, plans, benefits
3.       Inaccessible customer service
4.       Appellate Authority’s inaction and refusal to answer my questions – see trailing mail

I have demanded, fairly and as a right, that you as an ethical company make good the loss I have incurred by purchasing your now defunct dongle for Rs. 1299.00.

In spite of repeatedly informing you of your non-delivery of service, you have again levied another bill of Rs. 882.00  – despite the connection being disconnected and inactive. You have even closed my online account thereby preventing me from monitoring and verifying my account records. You have repeatedly made threatening calls to my family.

You will refund the loss of 1299.00 I have suffered for purchase of a non-functioning service and issue a public apology for harassment of this customer.

I am considering police action against you for harassment and cheating. 

To which they reply :

Dear Customer,
Thank you for writing to MTS.
We regret the inconvenience you are experiencing in this regards. At MTS, we believe that our customers inputs / feedback helps to improvise our services and ensure that we strive towards achieving customer satisfaction.
You have expressed your concern in the email dated Sat, 24th October '2015 regarding postpaid MTS number 8459545322 about billing issue, we would like to inform you that if the services of an account is in active status from our end and the customer has not requested for account cancellation, then customer is liable to pay the daily rental along with service tax irrespective of the usages done or not as it is a postpaid services. This is standard across all type of services. We can see that currently there is an outstanding amount of 882/-. We would request you to pay the same.
We wish to assure you that we have registered your feedback and would be working to ensure that this is incorporated in our service delivery in future.
We take pride in enhancing our customers with our response and friendly approach. It has always been our constant endeavor to ensure, that our customers are delighted by our inimitable approach.
Please do write in for further assistance.
Thanking you,
MTS Appellate Authority

So merely having an MTS account means you get charged, service or no service!

Here's the fitting reply for MTS:

Sir,

You have stated "if an account is in active status from our end and the customer has not requested for account cancellation, then customer is liable to pay the daily rental along with service tax irrespective of the usages done or not as it is a postpaid services".
Such an irresponsible statement from you does not absolve you of your responsibilities to your customer. 
The dongle you provided would not connect to your service. I have repeatedly complained to you since Aug 9th 2015 and you were informed of your device/service being inactive and unsable. Merely having a customer account with you without delivering services as promised to the customer and demanding payment for no service is an unethical malpractice on part of MTS India and a breach of contract. 
After non resolution of the problem and your repeatedly stalling, a cancellation request was intimated in writing on 2nd Sept 2015.
The short use of the services by this customer from activation date Aug 3rd 2015 to the first complaint vide email dated 9th Aug 2015 is proof of your gross deficiency in service. You would do best as a responsible company to cancel this fake bill and refund the cost of the dongle to me. 
This correspondence will be shared  with public authorities to facilitate accountability of MTS India to the nation.
I expect a written apology from you and the refund of Rs. 1299.00. Kindly collect the long defunct device from my residence against payment of refund to me.  

Now the correct, ethical course of action would be for MTS India to send a Management Executive to personally tender a written apology and deliver a Demand Draft of Rs. 1299.00.

Instead they tweeted on Oct 29th telling me to pay and made a contradictory statement that services were disconnected much later. Thus, MTS India violated TRAI regulations on disconnection timeline of services on customer request. MTS contradicted their earlier tweet saying that they disconnected services on Sept 8th.

To cheat the customer, they delay or don't respond in order to push you into the next bill cycle.

It is worth noting that MTS has not sent anything written - nada, not even a bill. They never answered any of my queries. In fact they now threaten this customer via Gmail accounts and spam calls.

Thank you for reading. I hope this exposé will help consumers get their value from and choose ethical companies. You may appreciate the malicious intent of MTS in using delay tactics to push the customer into the next bill cycle by ignoring their complaints - making the customer, the stakeholder, suffer. The customer purchases services in good faith in exchange for payment. Clearly, MTS has breached that good faith. It is absurd and abominable that MTS, instead of creating value and satisfaction for the customer, chooses to lose its bottomline by harassing and cheating the very stakeholder the company exists for.

Do try a service/product before you buy!

The Curious Incident of the Dog at the Night-time Review

This long curiously constructed title adorning a curiously made cover leads one past the smattering of praise and laurels into what is a curious read.

Enter Christopher, a strange fifteen year old with special needs and an aversion to the colours yellow and brown. The murder of his neighbour's dog leads our protagonist on a whodunit that reveals more than is intended for both the protagonist and the reader. The story is narrated by Christopher himself who is convinced and persuades readers of his intelligence despite his lack of social ability,, maturity, and arbitrary attempts to make sense of his world. It is his flawed nature that allows us to relate to him be it our need for solitude, what we aspire to be, or predicting how our day will. I find myself now classifying my days as A Super Good Day, Quite A Good Day, A Good Day, or A Black Day. Though it is not on the basis of the colour combination of cars parked on the street.

The story is really a drama that emotionally challenges the emotionally-challenged Christopher well past his limits and challenges his self-assured knowledge of himself and others around him. I certainly wish the ending was fleshed out - this interesting read ends abruptly. Perhaps, this is a good thing that spares us from what could have been a mundane epilogue.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon Review

Everything about this game is an 80's gag, specifically Terminator, and maybe some Escape from New York. The music plays a key part in this feeling. The cutscenes are the antithesis of FMVs - they are 16-bit sprites that are prolonged, cliched antics that can be skipped. This game shows that Ubisoft doesn't take itself too seriously. Blood Dragon feels more like a mod rather than a standalone game and if you're not familiar with 80's pop culture then the game's purpose is lost on you. It is an FPS that claims an unabashed sense of explosed action, but strangely, stealth takedowns, are far easier to perform than aiming a weapon, not to mention it gives you more experience points to gain new abilities.

It would have been nice to have a multiplayer option to round this title off but that would make it more than a gag.

First Impressions of Destiny (PS4 Version)

How is a $500 mil game?

It plays like most FPS', but being from Bungie it does have an uncanny resemblance to Halo, the first one from over a decade ago. That's a good thing, because there's nostalgia that let's you make yourself right at home withDestiny.

The great teaser videos released prior to launch promised a riveting storyline and social gameplay mechanics. Bungie did a great job with Halo's gameplay and brought it to Destiny much improved. It's understandable that the emphasis on story brings RPG elements, like leveling up and customizing your character and character classes. The RPG elements feel balanced and the characters have Masterchief-like durability, strength, and firepower. The game is always online, so you can always interact with other players. So you have a promising MMO-RPG-FPS.

The multiplayer aspect is evident at the start. The game requires you to be online even for single-player missions. You immediately go to the Tower, basically a hub, after your first mission. Even while playing solo, you respawn rather than restart at checkpoints, although that will happen in “restricted spawning” areas – the game will warn you when you enter one of these.

It's easy to add people to your fireteam and talk to them. You can also alter the privacy settings to friends only or public. Unfortunately, Destiny players are limited by their console, i.e., there is no cross-play. That would have truly made the multiplayer experience massive, but that limitation is probably out of Bungie's hands.

Being a revived chosen Guardian you wield the power of the Light against the forces of Darkness – a Good vs. Evil thing going here. The controls for your Guardian are easy and responsive. Moving, firing and using abilities are a button tap away. Some weapons have different fire settings that come in handy for enemies vulnerable to a particular type of weapon fire. The ammunition dropped by enemies can be primary, special, or heavy weapon type and is universal – no need to scour for specific weapon ammo. Unfortunately, the enemies don't drop their weapons, but they do drop armor and other guns. You get experience killing enemies, which levels you and your weapons up. After level 20, however, level enchancement will depend on the light factor of your armor.

The elements of controlling a vehicle (just the one-seater Sparrow for now), the zooming out to third-person view, and flipping vehicles upright are Halo-esque. You can't run over enemies with the Sparrow – I miss having a dangerously-driven Warthog. You will be doing a bit of inventory management in the game and you can change your weapons and armor loadout on the fly.

Your benefactor, the Traveler, a large alien orb in the sky, is the source of your abilities and, well, is dead. Humankind is having a hard time with its expansion across the galaxy reduced to just a single city on Earth by rival alien races coming to get a piece of the Traveler. While they do fight among each other, they all train their guns on you when you appear before them. This is reminiscent of the last stages of the first Halo game, where the Convenant and the Flood fight each other.

The enemies don't seem to be very different in behavior from the Halo 1's enemies. Vandals behave like Elites; Dregs like Jackals; Thralls like infected Elites; Knights/Captains like Hunters. Enemy races don't seem to attack and defend cohesively like an organized unit and they don't apply tactics to defeat you. They also respawn, sometimes when you move away or with a dropship. Well, this is a video game, so you are a one-man army (or a three/six-member Fireteam depending on mission requirements). An upgrade in AI would have been preferable to pitting hordes against you. 

Playing any mission reuses the same maps with some slight variations depending on your storyline progression. The maps are limited to a specific area on each planet/celestial body. So, there is not much open-world roaming here. Some choices are odd - like sure, we're down to the last city on Earth, but can't we go beyond a patch on Old Russia? I even tried going into the water and my character died. It's not a dealbreaker, but a game of this magnitude should offer expansive worlds.

The storyline follows the regular theme of Good vs. Evil, but it is scarce for a big budget game. Shadow of Mordor is chalk-full of lore in comparison. Granted, it's got Tolkien's literature backing it, but Destiny is a half-billion dollar production that could appeal to more gamers with the lure of an epic story. My attempt at Destiny raised questions like:

Why were you chosen and why have you been dead for a long time? What is the enigmatic Traveler? What makes it tick? Why did the Traveler choose mankind? What is the past of the enemies? The Fallen are intriguing, because the game tells us they had a glorious past. How about a little insight into the other Guardian races?

It is probably the multiplayer/social aspect of Destiny that makes it alluring. I have not played the whole game, but I hope the DLCs address these issues. Nevertheless, I intend to play moreDestiny.

Terrible Day

Being in a responsible post, if you unable to discharge your duties due to personal problems, it's better to take leave than to commit a mistake. 

All the office can do is cut your salary or extend your probation. 

There is nothing to fear on that front. 

Why call this a "front"? Is the situation or it's consequences an affront to you? Pardon the word play here, but this perception of a conflict, of an everyday battle to live through the day is an emotional drain. Remember that we are talking of perception here. The actual situation may be different. Our memories and current experiences are a combination of our mental recording of what transpired and the feelings experienced during that time. Both are not experienced in isolation. These feelings are an integral part of memory. 

Unfortunately, in depression, this internal running dialogue of memory and self focuses on and reinforces the negative feelings that were felt at that time and this circle continues with the subject's negativity growing without his realising it. 

Little can be done about the past as the event already occurred and passed. Be it a perceived slight or outrage, the Past cannot be changed. Yet, when suffering from depression in the Present we focus on the static Past and cede control, the control needed to bring focus to the Present to effect the changes to improve the victim's quality of life. 

The physical body is always part of the Present. Hence it is an effective anchor to the Present. If the mind could attempt to objectively view what passed and process why something failed, assess it's impact and process this to effect a positive change in the individual. 

The will to change and leave the Past behind is left to the subject. What happens for those who can't muster the strength to collect and confront their problems? By problems we mean actual problems and their magnitude. The subject will need to differentiate between the actual and the perceived. Then, the problems need to be ranked. This is not easy as the subject personal harmony is already disturbed and he has an overwhelming sense of his own mortality. This disturbance makes it difficult for him to dismiss false or minor threats to the subject's well being and interests.

This is a strange case of an individual who emotionally strained is conflict prone yet conflict averse. This may lead to feelings of :

• anger at perceived injustice 
• frustration at the perceived inability to surmount the situation
• hopelessness when the perceived conflict is prolonged 
• despair when these negative feelings degenerate

Note:

Anger is not necessarily bad when such anger has a moral backing due to a desire to improve oneself, others, or the environment. 

Sometimes this swirl of feelings culminate with thoughts of suicide to escape the life the person feels condemned to live. This individual loses interest in the things and people he cherishes or treasures. This further strengthens his isolation from his world like loneliness in the sea of millions.

It is ironic that human beings to cope with their lack of quality of life will further degenerate and purposely fade into obscurity through receding from all social life and inflicting further on oneself mentally and physically. Suicide is the most drastic step one can take to give up. 

It is absurd that the recourse that these subjects who were initially harmed externally will continue the harm albeit by their own hand. Ultimately to go somewhere where nothing is proven to exist or improve for that matter. 

Perhaps the subjects may be encouraged to give thought to what their centre is, i.e., what makes them who they are. They should be enrolled into programmes to strengthen their core. A holistic system of repairing the individual by encouraging him to draw strength from himself - his happy memories, his values, his qualities, his interests. These individuals by the completion of such training should be reintroduced into society where they will not only endure but thrive. 

Byte-Corseca Stereo Bluetooth Headset (DM5710BT )

The Byte Corseca Stereo bluetooth headset is a China-based Damson Group product. The model number is mentioned as DM5710BT whereas the website lists it as the SBT05. It retails for Rs. 1,500 (on Flipkart.com), but it is not widely available. Dell customers usually get this headset free with their laptops.

The cheap plastic construction and small, inferior audio driver units makes the headset quite lightweight. The neck band isn't smooth so it will pinch your neck when you let it hang. It can be folded into a smaller size.

Cheap plastic buttons adorn the right earpiece - 5 in total. There is the centre multifunction key and the surrounding volume up, volume done, next track, and previous track keys. When pressed while the headset is worn, the keys emit a loud mechanical click sound that hurts the ears. The multifunction key acts as the power key, the call key, and the play/stop key. 

This Bluetooth headset supports the bare minimum of HFP, HSP, and A2DP Bluetooth profiles as it is Bluetooth version 2.1+EDR compliant. That means it can be used as a handsfree device with your phone, a headset with your Bluetooth-enabled computer, and as a pair of headphones for audio.

Conclusion:

Rs. 1,500/- for Damson Group's Byte-Corseca DM5710BT Bluetooth headset is too much. The poor sound quality is akin to the sound produced by Rs. 200 earphones. There is no bass and the volume is low. The microphone transmits background noise the other person will not be able to hear you properly. The headset uses, perhaps without paying royalties, the outdated miniUSB and Bluetooth 2.1 standards as opposed to the more common microUSB port and the power-efficient Bluetooth 4.0. Product support is vague and no service centre addresses are given. That said, there is better quality and more features to be had from product offerings in the same price range from popular brands such as Samsung and Nokia. The Byte Corseca BT Headset can be given a miss. It is better suited as a freebie with new Dell laptop purchases.

The Big Chill Cafe

Have you ever had sausages in your chicken soup?
Boiled potatoes instead of french fries?
A bone sticking out of your grilled chicken?
Or a $4 dollar mini-brownie?

Have you ever been served by overly casual, inattentive staff?

No?

Then get your Big Bill at the Big Chill Cafe, New Delhi!

You could try the ravioli, "Angry Chicken Pasta", or the "Portuguese Piri Piri" grilled chicken - complete with an unsightly bone. The "Squidgy Chocolate Mousse" is decent. However, they don't serve lasagne - hold on, no lasagne? Which cuisine is this restaurant serving?

The prices are quite high and contrary to the relatively young crowd's budget at Rs. 500 a dish and Rs. 220 for pastries (without taxes). So don't be surprised to see people sharing a dish.

The ambience is a mismatch of posters of movie classics and randomized pulse-pounding background music. Unfortunately, they use only split ACs and not centralized ones so don't sit at table in front of a chilly draft. Don't go too early to the restaurant (noon) or you might be eating while staff are mopping underneath your table.


Or, you could wait (maybe forever) for Candies, Mumbai to come to Delhi.


Meal for two with drinks : Rs. 2,000

The Airtel 3G Conundrum

I tried Airtel 3G and I have to say this is one ISP I can do without. Mid-January I decide to to go for their 1 GB - 28 day plan. I don't know why they don't make it for a standard monthly payment but I won't bother emailing them because of their ineffective and indifferent customer service which I'll get to later. 

I started testing speeds with SpeedTest.net. The speeds at first were decent with 2+ Mbps but the upload speeds raised eyebrows at only 200 kbps - an issue that still persists. For 3 days I get similar speeds and an occasional loss of connectivity. It was still relatively more reliable than the existing 2G plans they offer. It worked with YouTube videos and app downloads but I couldn't help feeling that the connection was being denied or capped for bigger data downloads. Three days later, the speeds disappear and I'm left with a rather unusable connection that refuses to send/receive data. That the connection is established is clearly shown by a "3G" sign on the iPhone 5. I initially thought this was a problem with the device but varying speeds over the week ruled this out. I figured this would be an ISP problem.

I'm no stranger to capped speeds. I can recall having to call Airtel and have them send a technician to look into why I was getting only 512 kbps when I paid for a 2 Mbps fixed line connection. The technician made a phone call to the "node" and did a confirmatory test on SpeedTest.net (this is why I quote SpeedTest.net results) and lo! The speed was restored. 

This happened thrice in one year.

Back to Airtel 3G.
I had not altered any setting on my phone but the speeds dropped to sub-40 kbps speeds and 50+ kbps upload speeds. The download and upload speeds were mismatched. The lowest point came with a ping of 1770 ms which made the connection unusable.

I emailed and talked to Airtel customer support but their responses were perfunctory. Even with prodding their responses were along the lines of "there are no problems with the backend server". Of course, traffic shaping and speed capping are deliberate functions, not problems for Airtel. If it's a policy to give suspiciously 2G-like speeds on a 3G plan, then that's not a problem for Airtel. After numerous complaints and a lot of shouting, I got a call (despite explicitly telling them not to call me) that the problem had been "resolved". What was resolved? I'll paraphrase. "No idea", they say ("Get Idea", I say [:P]). A resolution was provided for problem they said never existed.

I told them it was too late for I had already deactivated 3G.


In fact, I don't bother with their 2G services either. I use Wi-Fi. Yes it's limited but hey, it works.

Note: Speed is only part of the story. Reliability is important. A connection which only works in bursts of speed is not reliable especially for downloads, streaming, and transactions. Also, when checking a connection, don't just load a site, go deeper within the site - at least three links deep. Even if you can, you'll still need to check if you're able to access an app store and download an app from there.

Food for thought: Why does Airtel insist on voice correspondence instead of email correspondence?

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Review

Very few quality action games have much depth. The sheer length of Deus Ex: Human Revolution provides you your money's worth. It pleases old players of the original Deus Ex as well as new players who haven't played Deus Ex. The cyberpunk atmosphere of the original and this prequel form a cohesive link.

The cover system is the major gameplay difference between two games - and you will need it. A controller is a better option for this game but the keyboard-mouse combo works better for hacking. Although the game offers the player the choice of playing style, stealth using non-lethal means is the only way to go if you want the protagonist, Adam Jensen, to be decently augmented. However, this style makes more exciting augmentations such as the Typhoon (an all-round blast that kills enemies close to you) and aim improvement enhancements useless if you wish to always remain stealthy. The game does not offer a "New Game+" option to start off with enhancements you received in your previous playthrough.

The persuasion system in this non-linear game is welcome and appreciated for drawing the player into making choices. If you listen carefully to what each character says you will be able to get through parts of the main quest with just people skills.

Unfortunately, there are several issues with this otherwise solid game. The graphics aren't impressive and the facial and gesture animations are repetitive and off the mark.The ragdoll physics of dragging bodies remind one of Hitman 2. AI could certainly use improvement. Glitches such as wall clipping and being seen even when behind cover are annoying but do not break the main quest.

DXHR is a must-play game for its story telling and nostalgic value it offers. It shares a similar story format with the original game but the story is unique. The gameplay, story and music form a cohesive whole that provides a satisfying experience and leaves a lasting impression.

iPhone 5: The No-Nonsense Phone

Note: Screen protector is affixed.

Note: There are different GSM versions of the iPhone 5 but they differ only in LTE band support. 
Contrary to what reports are saying, there are no scratches on the retail unit and there is no backlight bleeding. As with any expensive touch-enabled phone I would recommend putting a screen protector and a case to protect the body.
Update: Google Maps is available for iPhone. 

Side view of iPhone 5

The iPhone 5 arrives at a time when there is no clear best phone in the market. It does not win the best affordable phone award, but it certainly is the only premium phone in a small size; the only one with a 4" screen size and the slimmest of them all. The design is refined and understated and, dare I say, masculine unlike the androgynous designs of its predecessors. 

The iPhone does what flagship smartphones do but with finesse. This is evident in the details. Seamless syncing with iTunes, fast browsing speeds, accurate colour reproduction, camera autofocus and auto-exposure, scratch-resistant camera lens, good battery that yield's about a day's usage and charges fast in two hours or less, video stabilization, easy camera shooting and other details are present.

The iPhone 5 provides great display resolution and true colour reproduction

The tightly integrated Apple ecosystem of iDevices, enhancements, iTunes, and the App Store is a major draw. Yes, similar programs are offered on the Android platform but the user must be wary of permissions sought by individual apps before installing. Apple's vetting of apps makes choosing apps safer. Mobile apps roll outs are done on iOS before other mobile operating systems so the library of the Apple Apps Store is larger than other app stores. 

It's not a perfect phone. It would have been helpful if Apple could facilitate contacts migration and backup right out of the box. There is no smart dial and you cannot delete or insert digits in the beginning or middle of a number while dialing. These are minor niggles that do not spoil the experience and ease of use.

The internet is what makes a smartphone a smartphone. Without it, most of the features of such a phone are useless. At the basic level, smart choices show through. The iPhone is the only premium phone that fits comfortably in a jeans pocket. It's telephony is good with noticeable noise cancellation and the excellent signal reception. The battery is adequate for a day's usage and the battery charges in less than two hours. The user interface is speedy and intuitive and naturally complements the physical device.

The iPhone 5 exudes style and sophistication in both form and function. It is a product of deliberate choices in making the best iPhone yet. It doesn't try to overwhelm you with a smorgasbord of features and a slab-size screen. It makes an impression with distinctive simplicity.

How to Uninstall MyWinlocker

If you have an Acer computer, it usually comes with pre-installed software including third-party programs such as MyWinlocker by EgisTec. MyWinlocker is basically a file encryption program. If you don't want this software on your computer then you can uninstall it. However, the installer may encounter an error and the program will not be uninstalled. In that case follow these steps:

1. Ensure no services of MyWinlocker start at login. You can use CCleaner - it's free and it lets you disable/enable startup programs, services, and context menu items (go to Tools\Startup and click on the corresponding tabs).
   You should see entries such as "mwlDaemon", "EgisUpdate", and other similarly named ones. If you are not sure about an entry, check its description and file location. Assuming MyWinlocker is the only EgisTec software you have, you can disable related entries.
2. Restart your computer.
3. Ensure no processes and services of Egistec are running by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
4. Go to www.egistec.com and click "Learn more" about MyWinlocker. Click the "Program Update" link.
   Or try this link: http://www.egistec.com/oid0x0100cid0Alidenpid196609sid02/mwl-update.aspx
5. Under "MyWinlocker latest version and tools." you can try:
• Downloading an running the smaller tools and then running the uninstaller.
  OR
• If the above step doesn't work, download the larger update file, install it and restart your computer your computer when prompted to.
  In this case, go to Task Manager and shut down processes and services of EgisTec and run the uninstaller of the latest installed MyWinlocker program (You will see two MyWinlocker entries).
  After restarting both entries should disappear and only a log file should be left in the MyWinlocker folder. You can delete the remaining folders, startup entries, and run a registry cleaner to remove traces of the program.

Disclaimer: Follow these instructions at your own risk. I will not be held responsible for any damage caused to your computer and data.

HTC Wildfire S 2012 Review: Frustrating Mediocrity

I already reviewed this phone here. Let's see what has changed a year later.

Usability

The Wildfire S power button and rocker volume buttons keys do not register presses unless firmly and precisely pressed - irritating when you want to quickly silence the phone during a call.
Typing is also difficult on the phone. You cannot type fast in either orientation. You need both precise finger contact and patience to make sure the phone registers each press. This is not a phone for frequent messaging.

Battery Life

Real world usage with the Carat app keeping tabs shows that without 3G the phone lasts for 10 hours, so frequent charging is required and the charging is slow, very slow. Which brings us to the included charger. The charger's output is only 200 mA. The phone takes approximately three hours with it sleeping. Using the phone during that time makes charging even slower.

Service Network

If your battery can't hold charge, good luck getting a spare. HTC India service and support is almost nonexistent. Yes, the call centres are there, but they never give written replies and they call you saying they don't have knowledge of battery pricing. Some phones at launch had software issues with buggy dialers and visits to the service centre meant a week without your phone and then getting it back unchanged. The website also lacks support articles on the phone.

Software Updates

The last update was in July and no change log is given for it. That's not required though because it changes nothing: no OS update, no dialer bug fixes, no wake delay fix, no Sense update, no inbuilt app updates, and no promised root access update. The lack of ICS is the most glaring. The reason given is that the Wildfire S does not meet the specifications for the OS. This is contradicted by the identical specs of the ICS-ready HTC One V.

App compatibility and performance is another issue. Flipboard, Chrome, and Adobe Flash are incompatible with the Wildfire S. Gaming can be skipped on this device.

The First Job

Many a time a graduate fresh out of college will make the mistake of selecting and working a job based on the salary offered. This is by itself not an issue but the reliance on the salary offered as the sole criteria is. So new job seekers remedy this by putting the profile of the profession as the first priority in searching for the right job, but that leads to a debate as to which is more important: profile or salary. Logically speaking, the two should match each other as the pay can be used to gauge the worth of the profile (or the employee). But, there is another criterion not usually apparent to first timers.

A commonly overlooked aspect of a newcomer's search for the beginning of a work life is the work culture. You are going to spend a significant number of hours of your life working. So, it makes good sense to take into account the aspects of work beyond the pay and the responsibilities. People and work policies form a major part of the work experience. These work conditions must be evaluated before committing to a profession.

Usually, this complex factor of the work experience is only discovered well into the first job. Sometimes the consequences of overlooking this causes dissatisfaction that finally leads to attrition. As human beings, we need to understand our own motivations and productivity choices we make because they can and will have social underpinnings. Simply doing work mechanically under the guise of professionalism is not feasible. Individual and group expectations need to be met and satisfied. Satisfaction cannot be met by the remuneration received and job description alone. In fact, true satisfaction comes from the individual satisfaction from achievement, a sense of purpose, and enjoyment at work.

The first experience with a job aims for the growth possible with the job. It is not unusual that the individual's expectations cannot be met in the first job. The first-time worker will experience the interaction with and reaction of the entities in the work environment. If the worker is working in a company, the company itself is an entity that the worker must deal with. Some companies may not have the employees best interests at hand and may stagnate an employee's career with false commitments.

A company may eschew the employees wants in favor of subverting his or her goals to serve the company's own needs. It, or they -- the people higher up -- may attempt to shift the employee's focus from his or her long-term goals to that of short term goals. Another method would be to offer the employee a chance to pursue what is ostensibly his or her goal that is not recognized as formal responsibility that proves to serve no change for the betterment of the employee. These are efforts that could effectively stave off a worker's ambitions.

Negotiations by the entity, in this case, the company, in order to retain the employee, may degenerate into arguments to convince the employee to stay by giving him or her airs and grace. At this point the solution is simple for both parties as the subtleties of company professionalism have been cast off by inadvertently casting off the the employee's desire to stay on. The company may employ attacks on the person herself, calling her motivations and even her character into question, e.g., implying (or stating) that she is confused. A company may throw a red herring to cast doubts on the avenues beyond the company.

No doubt the company is doing itself a great disservice but not all companies need be like the one mentioned. In fact, many realize the importance of their employees and do their best to invest in them. In any organization, an organization's workers are its greatest asset. A satisfied, productive employee does his or her part in a productive organization that successfully imbibes the human aspect of a corporation. And this is where the job seeker will head next.